'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [‎659r] (1319/1386)

55
earstytnthisgsubictoHesaidsthat the Turkish Government had not acted with
re had promised <mono1tl reak in.theopen and friendly manner he had expected,
—hey had promised Co-operation with Persia, but were believed in some Quarters
to hav e encouraged the Sheikh’s intrigues. They had certainly failed to take any
effectual steps to prevent him from entering Persia to put himself at the head of
theinsurgents; and when he and his sons were eventually defeated by the Persian
troops, no attempt had been made to cut off his retreat or prevent therebensersm
returning to .the Turkish territory, where they obtained immunity from further iro
Several Persian Kurdish Chiefs had also been allowed to escape into Turkey, rt[siti:
standing thesolemn assurance given by the Turkish Ambassador that the Sheikh and
his sons, if driven out from Persia, would at once be arrested, and that Hamzah Agha
you ( also, if he crossed the frontier, be seized, and either put to death by the Turkish
authorities.for.crimes formerly committed by him in Turkey, or be handed over to be
dealt with by the Persian Government as they might think fit.
It y as true, His Majesty said, that the assurances given by the Porte to the Persian
Ambassador in. Constantinople had been somewhat vague and unsatisfactory, but
Fakribey s statements had been most explicit.
Tlie Shah stated that he was endeavouring to induce the Porte to comply with his
demand for the removal of the Sheikh from the frontier and the surrender of the
l ci sian rebel Chiefs, but that he had as yet obtained only evasive replies. The Porte
had offered to have the fugitives disarmed, but this was a most inadequate measure to
propose, as the Sheikh and his sons, if left near the Persian border, would be sure to
resume their intrigues with the tribes on this side of the frontier, and the rebellion
would recommence in spring. With the prospect of such a renewal of hostilities,
Persia could not "venture to withdraw the large military force now assembled at
Oroomiah, and the cost and difficulty of maintaining such an army in a province
which was already drained of all resources in consequence of the famine which
prevailed in that part of Persia last year, and the subsequent ravages committed by
the Kurds, would cause great embarrassment to the Persian Government, and be a
source of much additional suffering to the inhabitants, who were now threatened with
another season of privation worse than the last.
The Shah added that instructions had been sent to his Ambassador in Constanti
nople to make further strong representations to the Porte, and to demand the removal
of the Sheikh and his sons from the Persian frontier, as well as the surrender of
Hamzah Agha, Amin Agha, and Fathullah Agha, three of the Persian Kurdish Chiefs
who had taken a prominent part in the recent insurrection. He earnestly hoped that
Her Majesty's Government would support his demand, which could not, he thought,
be considered an unreasonable one, and that the Porte would be urged to decide at
once on the course she meant to pursue, so that Persia might know as soon as possible
whether her demand was agreed to or finally rejected.
The rejection of the Shah’s demands, should that be the final determination of
the Porte, will, in my opinion, produce a state of feeling which will add greatly to the
difficulty of effecting a settlement of the frontier disputes now pending between the
two States, which might otherwise be adjusted by the nomination of a Commission to
examine and afford redress for the grievances alleged on both sides.
The immediate effect of their rejection will, moreover, doubtless be to render the
relations of Persia with Russia more intimate than ever; the ultimate result, in all
probability, that of inducing the Shah to ally himself with Russia whenever the
recurrence of hostilities between that Power and Turkey affords him an opportunity
for retaliation.
I have had the honour to communicate the purport of a portion of this despatch
to your Lordship by telegraph.
No. 70.
Consul-General Abbott to Earl Granville.—(Received December 20.)
My Lord, Tabreez, November 30, 1880.
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copies of despatches
addressed by me to Iler Majesty’s Minister at Tehran regarding the projected move
ment of Russian troops to the Aras frontier, and the campaign which the Sepeh Salar
is conducting against the Kurdish insurgents.
I have, &c.
(Signed) WILLIAM G. ABBOTT.